Dear Families,

As we approach the end of August, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for helping get our year off to a positive start! A big thank you to our sidewalk chalk artists for our first day of school sidewalk art, our PTCO for a great Back to School BBQ, and to all of our parents and caregivers for everything you did to help set your child up for success this year!

We hope you are enjoying your Family Connection Meetings and if you haven't already signed-up for one, please reach out to your child's teacher to get one scheduled! We received feedback a few years ago that Back to School Nights did not provide you the time you needed with teachers to address individual questions and concerns or to feel like you really got to know your child's teacher. Last year, we switched to Family Connection Meetings to give you that one-on-one time with your child's teacher. Please know our staff is always happy to meet with you any time you have questions or concerns, but this is a great opportunity to start the year with everyone on the same page!

Our foxes have settled in well and are starting to get into the routine of school! I am proud of the way our teachers and staff have embraced the new school year with dedication and creativity, and I am grateful for all their work to foster a nurturing and rigorous learning environment.

As we continue to build on this positive momentum, I want to share some ways you can support your child’s learning journey:

1. Encourage Regular Reading: Reading together at home can greatly benefit your child’s literacy skills. Set aside a few minutes each day for reading, and discuss the stories you read to build comprehension and critical thinking skills.

2. Stay Engaged: Communicate regularly with your child about their school day. Ask open-ended questions about what they learned and what they found exciting. This shows your interest and reinforces their learning.

3. Create a Routine: Establishing a consistent routine helps children manage their time effectively and fosters good attendance habits and work completion skills.

4. Promote Healthy Habits: Ensure your child gets adequate sleep, eats nutritious meals, and has time for physical activity. A healthy lifestyle supports a strong academic performance!

Additionally, I would like to bring to your attention our district’s new attendance policy, as regular school attendance is crucial for your child's success this year and beyond. Please review the information below under "District Announcements" to understand how it may affect your child’s attendance and what steps you need to take. We appreciate your cooperation in adhering to this policy to support your child’s academic success.

Thank you for being an integral part of our school community. Your partnership is essential to making this school year a memorable and successful one for our students. If you have any questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out!

Warm regards,

Kelsey Jones

Principal

Arrowhead's website is regularly updated with information and upcoming events are found on the calendar. It will always have the most up-to-date information and you can see events that are scheduled across the year, including district events. Please be sure to check the website regularly! Please take note of the following dates and save them on your calendars:

August 27- School Picture Day

August 29 5:00 pm at Laredo Middle School- Smoky Hill Feeder 2024 Bond Presentation

September 11 5:30-6:30 pm in the Library- PTCO Meeting

September 13 8:00-9:00 am in the Library- PASS (Partnership for Academically Successful Students) Parent Coffee

September 17 6:00-8:00 pm- Skate City Night

September 20- Non-Contact Day (No School for Students)

September 25 5:30-6:30 pm- Title 1 Family Information Night/SAC(School Accountability Committee)

October 3- Fall Lockdown Drill (more information to come)

October 14-18- Fall Break (No School)

Apply now for school meal benefits! While all students now receive free lunch, qualifying families will receive additional benefits, including discounts for CCSD before/after programs and waived activities and athletic fees. It also helps our school earn additional federal funding.

To apply for school meal benefits, please complete this application as soon as possible. You can apply the following ways:

Online: Click here to apply. The application is available in Spanish by clicking "Languages" in the top right hand corner.

Pick-up a paper copy at school: We have paper copies available in the Main Office.

Our After School Activities catalog will be out after Labor Day weekend- please watch your email and text messages for that! You will have a week to sign-up and will receive confirmation of your child's after school activity(ies) by Friday, September 13. After School Activities start the week of September 16!

If you would like your child to eat breakfast at school, please drop them off between 7:40-7:50 am. Students eating breakfast will need to enter through the Cafeteria door at the back of the building (door #8). Breakfast ends at 8:00 am, so please drop your child off no later than 7:50 am to allow them time to eat before going to their classroom.

While you are certainly welcome to email your child's teacher or leave a message on their voicemail, the best way to reach teachers is through Talking Points. For families who speak a language other than English at home, you are able to write a message in your home language and it will translate into English for your child's teacher. Your child's teacher is then able to respond in English and it will be translated into your home language!

Our teachers check and respond to messages between the hours of 7:00 am-4:30 pm on school days. Since teachers are focused on students most of the day and are not able to respond to messages while they are teaching, please understand that response times may take up to 24-48 hours.

Please see the following announcements from Nurse Melanie:

• The district audiology team will be here on Thursday, August 29 for hearing screenings. You will be contacted if any concerns arise!
• If your child needs to store medications (including EpiPens and inhalers) at school, please bring those with the doctor's orders to the clinic as soon as possible!
• If you have any gently used children's clothing that you are able to donate, the clinic would love to take it off your hands! It is helpful to have extra clothes for when students have accidents, get wet/dirty at recess, etc.

Our first PASS Parent Coffee will be held on Friday, September 13 at 8:00 am. A Spanish interpreter will be available. For families that are new, PASS stands for Partnership for Academically Successful Students. PASS' goal is to foster an inclusive and safe environment to support the success of students of color. We do this by engaging community members in meaningful and effective partnerships, building relationships between schools and family communities. and providing parents and guardians of students of color voice and direct access to the administration.

For our first meeting, we will be sharing information about what's new at Arrowhead this year, getting input for our Title 1 Compact, and discussing topics for future PASS meetings.

You are invited to join us on Wednesday, September 25 from 5:30-6:30 pm for our Title 1 Family Information Night and School Accountability Committee (SAC) meeting. We will be talking about what it means to be a Title 1 school, how Arrowhead spends Title 1 funds, and will review Arrowhead data. You will also have the opportunity to contribute to the development of this year's Title 1 Compact.

If you or someone you know is interested in working at Arrowhead, please fill out an application and apply to our positions here. The positions we have open are:

SED (Serious Emotional Disability) Para Educator (7 hours/day): Work with students who need support with behavior regulation by providing accommodations, academic modifications, and breaks. Support emotional and behavioral regulation through de-escalation and regulation techniques, which will be taught through multiple training opportunities.

*Please apply for this position under "Severe Needs Para Educator- Arrowhead Elementary"

Severe Needs Para Educator (7 hours/day): Support students in our ILC program by providing accommodations, academic modifications, and supporting students with mobility and self-care (toileting/diapering, eating, etc.) as needed. Experience is preferred but not required, as new para educators will be provided with extensive training.

Twice Exceptional Para Educator (7 hours/day): Support twice exceptional (2e) students in their classrooms, the 2e classroom, and in small group settings. Provide accommodations, academic modifications, and individualized learning. Support emotional regulation as needed through de-escalation and regulation techniques, which will be taught through multiple training opportunities.

*Please apply for this position under "Severe Needs Para Educator- Arrowhead Elementary"

In Cherry Creek School District and Arrowhead Elementary, our top priorities are your child’s safety, academics, and whole wellbeing. In order to maintain and excel in these areas, it’s critical that our kids come to school every day.

Did you know that 1 in 3 students in CCSD in the 2023-24 school year were chronically absent? Chronic absenteeism is defined by the state as missing more than 10 days in the school year.

Chronic absenteeism has a significant impact on the academic performance of a child and their classroom. Over 4 out of 5 students who miss more than 10% of kindergarten and first grade are unable to read on-level by third grade. By 6th grade, chronic absenteeism is a critical warning sign that a student may not graduate high school. Missing just one lesson or period in class can have a serious impact on a student’s understanding of academic concepts.

We also know that strong attendance improves our students’ Whole Wellbeing. Our students who experience anxiety about school often find care in our counseling staff and their support team in our school building. Missing school often exacerbates anxiety when our students then need to make up work that they missed, causing them to fall further behind.

To improve this process and best support our families, this year CCSD is shifting the way that attendance is tracked and changing the notification process to guardians.

If your child is chronically absent, or misses more than 10 days of school, parents or guardians will receive a letter from the district on behalf of our school notifying them of the issue. You will receive a second letter if your child misses more than 15 days of school. Our hope in automating this process at the district level is to provide our school staff with more time to meet with caregivers and problem-solve if your child or family needs extra support to attend school every day. We understand there can be challenges and barriers that we would like to work together to address.

In order to accomplish our goals of student safety, literacy, and wellbeing, caregivers and staff will need to work together to support our students. If your family anticipates an issue with attendance this year, please reach out to our office and we will make a plan to ensure your student gets to school.

Learn more about why attendance matters, the new CCSD policy, and how CCSD can help.

Greetings District V.O.I.C.E.S of Color Community,

We have a new name! A big shout out to the V.O.I.C.E.S. of Color Steering Committee (previously P.A.S.S), who have done some great work over the past year! We are excited about the new name change, which grew out of the community voicing the need for a new name and re-envisioning what support looks like each and every day for students across Cherry Creek School District! Keep your eye out in the coming months on events and information!

District V.O.I.C.E.S. of Color engages community members in meaningful and effective partnerships that lead to positive outcomes for all students, but more specifically, students of color.

Please join us for the 2024-2025 Open House!

When: August 28, 2024 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Where: Fremont Building 14603 E Fremont Ave, Centennial, CO 80112
Topic: Department of Equity, Culture, and Community Engagement & Open House

Please note, child care will be provided as well as interpreter services for our Spanish speaking families.

Please note: V.O.I.C.E.S. of Color meetings are not recorded nor live streamed.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email CCSDEquity@cherrycreekschools.org. For more information on V.O.I.C.E.S of Color visit the Cherry Creek School District website: https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/Page/12789.

Thanks,
CCSD Equity, Culture and Community Engagement

You can buy Arrowhead spirit wear for your child here! If you have any questions, please reach out to the PTCO.

Did you know that in addition to all the events the PTCO puts on, there are other ways to support the Arrowhead Elementary PTCO?

Questions? Feel free to reach out to your Arrowhead PTCO

arrowheadelementaryptco@gmail.com

arrtreasurer@gmail.com

arrowheadptcosecretary@gmail.com

Kindergarten-5th Grade

8:00 am-2:45 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

8:00 am-1:45 pm Wednesday

Pre-Kindergarten

AM Session: 8:00-10:55 am Monday-Thursday

PM Session: 11:50 am-2:45 pm Monday-Thursday

Enrichment: 10:55 am-2:45 pm Monday-Thursday

*No PreK on Fridays

If your child is eating breakfast at school, they may arrive at 7:40 am and enter through door 8 on the south side of the school (Cafeteria doors). Students not eating breakfast may arrive between 7:45-8:00 am and should enter through the doors closest to their grade level (see map below). Please note that supervision will not be provided before 7:45 am except for breakfast. The bell rings at 8:00 am and students who arrive after 8:00 am need to enter through the main office doors. Students eating breakfast in the cafeteria will be sent to their classrooms at 8:00.

The school day ends at 2:45 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. On Wednesdays, the school day ends at 1:45 pm. Students will exit from the same doors they entered.

If you are interested in our before and after school child care program, please contact Bobbie Smith at 720-886-2853. They open at 6:30 am to provide before school care and are open until 6:00 pm to provide after school care. They can only accept students who have been registered in advance. They accept Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) for families who qualify and give discounts for families who qualify for free or reduced price meals.

All Cherry Creek elementary schools have early release days every Wednesday at 1:45 pm for Kindergarten-5th grade students to enhance professional development and training opportunities for our elementary teachers. PreK students continue to dismiss at their regular time. By having this specific time set aside, there will be less of a need to pull teachers out of the classroom during the day, which creates continuity for students and less of a reliance on substitute teachers. For families who participate in after school child care, the after-school program is extended every Wednesday and runs from 1:45-6:00 pm. You can register for after school care by contacting Bobbie Smith at 720-886-2853.

The map below shows where to drop your child off in the morning and pick them up at the end of the day. Students enter and exit doors based on their grade level. If your child arrives after 8:00 am or leaves before the end of the day, they will need to use the Main Entrance regardless of which grade they are in.

All visitors must use door 1 (Main Entrance) no matter the time of day. Visitors must show ID in order to access the building or pick-up a child. There are no exceptions to this policy and we appreciate you helping us keep students safe by bringing an ID every time.

Please help us keep kids safe by following our parking lot procedures. Please refer to the map of our parking lot below for where you can safely drop-off/pick-up.

Drop-Off/Pick-Up (Blue): This is a space for you to quickly drop-off and pick-up at the beginning and end of the day. This is a fire lane, so you must remain with your car at all times. Students should enter and exit the car on the curb side (right side), as cars will be passing in the through lane on the left side of the car.

Red Curve: This is a no parking or waiting zone, as our buses need to be able to get around that curve safely.

Bus Parking (Yellow): Only buses may park here. Cars parked in this space will be asked to move to make room for buses. Once the buses have departed, this may be used as additional space for pick-up/drop-off.

Through Lanes (Green): These lanes should continuously move. Please do not wait or park here and at no time should cars be double parked.

Parking: The only space where you may park is in a marked parking spot. If there is not a spot available, please park on the street and walk in.

Right Turn Only (2:45-3:00 pm, 1:45-2:00 pm Wednesdays): When exiting the parking lot during afternoon dismissal, all cars need to turn right out of the parking lot and loop through the neighborhood. For safety reasons, please do not make a u-turn in the areas around the school (signage indicates where u-turns cannot be made).

Loading Dock (Red): This area is used by pedestrians at the beginning and end of the school day. No vehicles may enter this area or park in the loading dock.

Please help us keep our students safe by driving safely around the school. The streets surrounding Arrowhead (Bates and Ceylon) are no u-turn zones. Please slow down, be vigilant, and do not double park along Bates or Ceylon. Children should only exit vehicles on the curb side and we ask that you pull all the way up to the curb before letting them out. Please model pedestrian safety for your child by using crosswalks.

If you see unsafe driving, please report it to Aurora Police Department. As a school, we do not have the authority to enforce traffic violations.

We understand that birthdays are special days for children and we will celebrate your child's birthday both in the classroom and with a school-wide announcement! While it isn't necessary, if your child would like to bring treats for their classmates, they are welcome to bring non-food items to celebrate. This allows us to be a community that is inclusive of children with food restrictions. Some ideas for birthday celebrations can include:

• Stickers
• Pencils
• Bookmarks
• Small trinkets/toys (school appropriate- no pretend weapons or items that can be used as weapons, no whistles, etc.)
• Goodie bags with non-edible items
• A book donation to your child's classroom (have your child sign the book so the class remembers who donated it!)

Each grade level celebrates birthdays differently and your child will be recognized on their birthday, regardless of whether they bring in something to celebrate with. If you wish for your child's birthday not to be celebrated, please notify their classroom teacher.

Please refrain from sending flowers and balloons to school for your child. Any flowers and balloons that are received will not be delivered until the end of the school day.

Please note that dogs are not allowed on school grounds. If you would like to bring your dog to drop-off or pick-up your child, please remain on the sidewalks around the perimeter of the school or in the field past the last goalpost.

English:

Please contact (name of liaison) at (email) for support with this resource in your language.

Amharic:

እነዝህን መረጃዎችን በተመለከተ በቋንቋዎ ዕገዛን ለማግኘት ከፈለጉ እባክዎን ተሊሌን በዝህ እሜይል ያግኙዋት

thirpa@cherrycreekschools.org

Arabic:

يرجى االتصال بـ )جميعة صباحي أو جاودة العلمي( على ) org.cherrycreekschools@jsebbahi أو

org.cherrycreekschools@jdajanialami للحصول على الدعم مع هذا المورد باللغة العربية.

Chinese:

如有需要,请经由 ctaylor9@cherrycreekschools.org 与凯瑟琳•泰勒联系,以您的语言获得此资源的支持。

Dari:

برای کمک در مورد اين منابع به زبان خودتان با قزافی مهرزاد

لطفا با اييمل org.cherrycreekschools@qmehrzad تماس بگيريد . ً

Hindi:

अपनी भाषा में इस संसाधन के समर्नथ के लिए कृपया जेम्स रसाइथिी को jrasaily@cherrycreekschools.org पर संपकथ करें।

Korean:

귀하의 언어로 이 자원에 대한 지원을 원하시면 (리아 리) 에게 (llee6@cherrycreekschools.org) 로 문의하십시오.

Nepali:

कृपया जेम्स रसाइथिीिाइथ jrasaily@cherrycreekschools.org मा तपाइथको भाषामा यो संसाधनको सहयोगको िागी सम्पकथ

गननहथ ोिा।

Russian:

Пожалуйста, обращайтесь к Ларисе Бака по адресу: lbaca3@cherrycreekschools.org для получения поддержки с помощью

этого ресурса на своём языке.

Somali:

Fadlan la xiriir Omar Nur cinwaanka emaylka onur2@cherrycreekschools.org si aad u hesho macluumaad ku qoran luqadaada.

Spanish:

Si necesita ayuda con este recurso en su idioma, póngase en contacto con Ilse Chavez Maldonado en

ichavezmaldonado@cherrycreekschools.org, Rosa Han en rhan4@cherrycreekschools.org, Carmen Vargas-Ball en

cvargasball@cherrycreekschools.org o Monica Pantoja en mpantoja@cherrycreekschools.org.

Ukrainian:

Будь ласка, зв'яжіться з Зоряною Герман по електронній пошті zherman@cherrycreekschools.org, щоб отримати

підтримку з цього ресурсу на українській мові.

Vietnamese:

Vui lòng liên hệ với Thuý Ngọc tại Lchung2@cherrycreekschools.org để được hỗ trợ về tài nguyên này bằng tiếng Việt.

Email: kjones100@cherrycreekschools.org

Website: https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/Arrowhead
Location: 19100 E Bates Ave, Aurora, CO, USA
Phone: 720-886-2800